While Washington Township officials are celebrating receiving a $500,000 grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs for a new fire station, some other regional communities are also sharing in the $15 million in grants announced by the state. More than $2.4 million in grants were approved for five other area communities that were part of the 31 grants presented to Hoosier Communities across five programs.
“As Indiana’s Secretary of Rural Development, I’m excited that we’re awarding $15 million to 31 rural communities across Indiana,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch. “These Community Development Block Grants will spur economic revitalization and community development, promote health and well-being, and help cities, towns and counties improve their quality of place and residents’ quality of life.”
Farmersburg received a $234,000 Blight Clearance Program grant. The purpose of the grant is to help communities clear blighted property to encourage long-term community development and spur economic revitalization. Specifically the community will use the money to demolish and clean up Hammonds Garage, a blighted structure that poses both a health and safety risk in Farmersburg.
A $500,000 Main Street Program grant was awarded to Vincennes.The Main Street Revitalization Program (MSRP) encourages communities with eligible populations to focus on long-term community development efforts. Eligible applicants had a designated active Indiana Main Street group in their community and the project must be a part of the Main Street’s overall strategy. For Vincennes that will mean façade improvements for nine properties on Main Street along First Street and 11th Street. This project will benefit the residents by addressing building concerns and making Downtown Vincennes a more inviting place to live, work and shop.
Another $500,000 grant will be going to Worthington in Greene County under the storm water improvement program to reduce flooding. Worthington will make stormwater improvements to include new inlets and sewers, rehabilitation of existing storm sewers and installation of new drywells.
Both Lynnville and Owensville in southern Indiana received grants totalling $600,000 apiece under the Waste Water Drinking Program to protect the health and environment, reduce utility rates for low-to-moderate income communities, and improve rural infrastructure to enable long-term economic growth. Lynnville’s project is for improvements to the wastewater treatment plant and three lift stations. This project upgrades the wastewater treatment plant by installing a new equalization tank as well as a new sludge manifold and pump. It will benefit current residents by assisting them with reasonable sewer rates in the future and prevent sanitary overflow on infiltration/inflow issues.
Owensville’s project is for wastewater collection rehabilitation to rectify excessive inflow and infiltration that has led to the Town of Owensville in receiving an Indiana Department of Environmental Management Sewer Ban Early Warning Notice. The project will consist of sanitary sewer collection system cleaning and televising followed by cured-in-place pipe installation in various areas. It will benefit the residents of Owensville by eliminating public health threats.